


Rosebud

by MadSoullessQueen



Series: Demons for Lucy [3]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Humor, MardLu, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-15
Updated: 2019-07-05
Packaged: 2019-11-18 14:17:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18122075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MadSoullessQueen/pseuds/MadSoullessQueen
Summary: Make an alliance with Fairy Tail or suffer the Never Ending Parade of Glitter, not exactly the kind of choice of Mard Geer thought he'd have to make when he visited his friend running a bar in Hell. He chose to make a new alliance and as part of it has to deal with learning how to be a legal guild and his teacher, Lucy Heartfilia.  Third and final part of Demons for Lucy Series.





	1. Allies or Glitter

As a reminder, I do not own Fairy Tail but I own Merlin and this crazy ass plot.

* * *

“Remind me again Merlin why I let you talk me into visiting? I am a very busy ruler,” Mard Geer said as Merlin pulled up a chair across from him. The bar had emptied out and though he loathed to admit it, he was quite envious of the other demons talking about family.

“Cause ya love me, old chap,” she grinned at him, “also, tis that time. Yer my last project and the Underworld deserves a Queen.”

Mard gripped his book and fought to not roll his eyes, “I have larger plans and no time for your matchmaking.” He really didn’t, he had his creator to kill and a Plane to rule. Though his subjects were starting to whisper about the lack of a Queen and a royal line. After two hundred years of ruling, he knew the social pressures would be there. Even Pompous Ass made a very rude comment about Mard still being single. Which he refused to reply to because making a crude insult out of someone’s dead wife was beneath him.

Merlin clicked her tongue, “right, one destroying magic is impossible, I’ll just shed my mortal body and restore it. Two, dun worry about Zeref,” she said as waved her hand and on the table a book with his name and two purple roses appeared. Mard recognized the book and now his brows shot up.

“Merlin, you never meddle,” he said.

“On a large scale Mard, but I will protect my friends, the few I got,” she said as he nodded. This much he knew about the insane mage.

“What is the catch?” Mard asked.

Merlin smiled, and he knew he was in for it, there was something inherently wrong with this. “You are going to stop being a dark guild and work with muh old guild Fairy Tail. Ya can thank me later fer it.”

He set the Book of End on the table, on top of his book and stared at her. “Why?”

“Tis the only way to deal with several bigger issues, Earth Land is in trouble and yer strength wit Fairy Tail will only save it,” she said.

“Again, why should I care?” he asked. Humans were beneath him and Merlin better have a compelling reason.

She held up a slim finger, “I can’t do it,” she put up a second one, “you’ll meet yer Queen,” she put up a third finger, “ya get to rub it into Stache’s face dat you are a clever hero and he is just stodgy,” another finger went up, “cause either ya do it or I show ya my Never Ending Glitter Parade.”

Mard face palmed but knew to take the threat seriously, his fear of glitter was not widely known but Merlin used it as blackmail. Though the option of holding this over Pompous Ass at the next Planar conference was certainly appealing. Anything Mard could do to troll the jerk was alright with him.

“I believe you will not accept no for an answer,” Mard pursed his lips as she shook her head. He considered his options, he didn’t want to be a light guild but Tartaros was the last guild of the Alliance and with no other allies, it would be an uphill battle. If he truly wanted Zeref gone and maybe a chance at finding a Queen (though he thought that unlikely) it was the wisest course of action.

He resigned himself to his fate, “very well Merlin, you have points. I agree to this on one final condition.”

She arched a brow and nodded before she grabbed Mard Geer’s book and started tracing sigils on it. After a few moments and a couple waves of chills through his body, Mard felt the proverbial shackles come off his wrists. Merlin smiled, “there now,” she held up the book, “is just another little book, yer free. Be quick, let’s get ya home.”

“I still think you are quite wrong about me meeting a Queen, humans are so…” Merlin shot him a hard glare and he put his hands up defensively.

“Open mind, Mard, try it ya twit.” Merlin flicked his forehead and Mard sprang to his feet, leaning over the table but Merlin was just even more amused with herself.  “Now off ya go! Say hi to Gramps fer me and be nice!”

Mard wanted to protest but couldn’t as he felt the shifting magic take hold and within the blink of an eye found himself standing in the middle of his throne room of Tartaros. He looked at Silver, “prepare the guild to move, we are going to change plans.”

“Everything okay boss?” Silver asked.

Mard pursed his lips, “not yet, but as a bit of life advice, never make friends with the clinically insane. I will explain on the way.” Silver ran off to start the moving procedures as Mard retreated into his office. He pulled down maps of the continent and looked over the country of Fiore in particular. He noted the location of Fairy Tail and saw an opening to the east of the guild. Using his telepathy, he told the Cube the latitude and longitude of where to take them.

He didn’t know or care if everyone was ready to move, he knew it would take a couple days for the large structure to get there. They could only move so fast and time was of the essence, his first plan would have been easier to deal with but now this new scheme would take even longer. Now they had to play nice with this Fairy Tail, though he did note how they destroyed the other guilds in the Balam Alliance.

Silver ran into his office and smirked at him, “well luckily everyone was still here, otherwise we’d be leaving people behind.” Mard waved off the comment without concern as he held his precious book. The mage looked over at the desk and noticed the map and looked up at Mard, the king did not move. He sat, his face in its mask of impassiveness before Silver gave an uneasy smile and left the room.

Now all he had to do was figure out how to handle this new situation. Mard figured that proper decorum would be to land and then invite the Fairy Tail leader, who he assumed to be this Gramps, over and explain what the situation was. From there they could figure out the details and Mard wished he had more intelligence on this guild, for now he was going to have to shape the plan along the way. A strategy he wasn’t fond of, but in this instance, he didn’t have a choice.

Least if anything he took small comfort in the fact that Merlin released him from Zeref’s book. How that would impact him, he was uncertain as he could not recall a time in his life when he wasn’t attached to the book. Though he had a couple days to figure that out and decided to spend the time in contemplation and meditation. He would give answers later, for now the most important demon was him, even Master END didn’t seem as interesting.

* * *

 

The Guild was a buzz with nervous energy as Gramps stood on the bar. Two days earlier a massive structure floated over Magnolia and landed a mile to the east of the Guild. Everyone had been nervous around the dark energy of the place and Gramps left with Laxus to investigate it. When they came back Gramps was deep in thought, a look Lucy or anyone wasn’t used to.

Laxus wouldn’t say a word about their trip but he was visibly worried, which left Lucy wondering what was up with her ex. She tried to get information but had no luck, Laxus was usually never this tight lipped. Well, least not around her but this time he was just different. Perhaps, Lucy wondered, he was finally understanding some of the things that it took to be a guild leader. Which meant having to keep some secrets to himself while things happened behind the scenes. She didn’t know.

Today Gramps had stood on the bar and Lucy was with her team, nursing a small drink in her hands. She was smooshed between Gray and Natsu as they commonly used her as a buffer to remember to behave themselves. She took a sip as Gramps finally started speaking.

“The dark guild Tartaros, last of the Balam Alliance has moved in,” he said, and Lucy sucked in a breath through her teeth, along with Natsu. People started their soft murmurs, but Gramps held up his hand, stilling the room. “Laxus and I met with the leader, Mard Geer and…” he paused, pursed his lips and shifted to the side.

A shower of light hit the bar as a woman, Lucy had never seen before, appeared on it. She was striking and exotic, sun kissed skin, unusual tattoos all over her body and a clothing choice that Lucy couldn’t place. What really stood out was her eyes, they were like sparkling opals, shifting in the light giving her the illusion of being blind.

“Oi! My Fairies,” she called, and Lucy noticed how Mira and Cana ran to the bar for hugs. The strange woman embraced them and said kind words, in an accent Lucy just could not place to save her life. “Now, some of ya dun know me, I’m Merlin. Third member of Fairy Tail, but I dun stay around often, tis a bother.”

Lucy blinked, she had heard that name before and she tried to recall where she heard the name from. It was a bit of a struggle as she knew more about astrophysics and summoning magic more than Fairy Tail’s history. Yet, just focusing on Fairy Tail’s history just didn’t make sense, the woman looked too exotic to be from Fiore. Perhaps Minstrel? Lucy had heard that Minstrel had more of an olive complexion and dark hair, except for Rufus, he was from Minstrel. So now she was really confused.

“Right, carry on, oi Lucy!” she called out, “Living Goddess of Minstrel, that’s where ya know me from, love,” she said, and Lucy’s eyes went wide. The Living Goddess of Minstrel was a myth, she thought but apparently not. It was said that the primal force of magic had given a child to a Dervish of the War Dancers and their child had single handed stopped the war of clans by eradicating magic and killing over thirteen thousand mages.

Merlin laughed, “I’ll let ya figure it out, movin’ onward. Mard Geer Tartaros is my best mate, there’s some shite on the horizon and I dun meddle, so I asked him to join with ya. Be nice my fairies, he’s an okay bloke just misunderstood, and his guild is loads of fun.”

“Merlin, you can’t be serious,” Gildarts said as he approached the bar.

“He’s my friend, damn right I’m bloody serious, also Chaos is coming and that pillock Zeref,” she said as she flipped over her arm and looked at some strangely moving clock tattoos. “The older ones know me, so teach the younger fairies, but ya must trust me.”

Gramps kissed Merlin’s cheek and gave her a nod as she smiled at the room. “Right, tis all I got and is all I can do. Take care my fairies, misbehave for all it’s worth!” she said before she vanished in a flash of glitter and when Lucy looked around everyone had drinks in their hands. Cana was the first to down hers, big surprise. She was still in shock but as she tasted her drink she smiled. It was the perfect little daquiri.

Gramps tipped back his beer, “well now, brats, you heard the old gal, we have to be nice with the demons. Which means we welcome them in Fairy Tail fashion!”

It started with Cana but soon the whole guild, Lucy included, started chanting “party!” When the fervor died down, Gramps smiled at everyone. The room stilled and waited as he cleared his throat. “I spoke with the Council, Tartaros hadn’t committed a crime in Fiore, we are willing to let them move towards being a legal guild but it’s on us to teach them and sponsor them. Therefore, I am pairing up everyone with a demon to help them get used to working in a legal guild.”

“Dude, I call the hot one!” Cana shouted as Mira glared at her. The Takeover Mage pulled Cana’s hair and planted one hell of a kiss on her in front of the guild. Everyone went quiet for a moment before the whoops and hollers started.

Laxus moved to his grandpa and Lucy arched a brow as he held folders in his hand. “Laxus will hand out the name of the demon you will work with, this is an important mission and everyone who is paired will receive a stipend, on top of mission work.”

Lucy noticed that Laxus looked a bit upset as he started double checking the folder names and passing them out. He came towards the table and Lucy held her breath she didn’t want to work with a demon. Laxus handed a folder to Gray and the ice make mage spat out his beer as he looked at the folder. Lucy was curious and looked over, seeing the name Silver Fullbuster at the top. She sucked in a breath and wrapped an arm around her teammate as he sat there stunned for a moment.

“Blondie…” Laxus said and Lucy blinked at him before he handed her a purple folder. She arched a brow and took it, promptly dropping it like she had just touch a steaming pile of Vulcan shit.

“What the hell, Laxus?” she questioned as Natsu grabbed the folder on the table. The lightning slayer shrugged and moved on, handing one to Natsu. Her best friend looked shocked but took the folder and grinned as he opened it.

“Heh, I got an explosive demon,” Natsu said with a sly grin on his face. Lucy knew that was going to go well, explosions plus fire equaled more clothing for Lucy to replace. She was grateful there was a payment for this, but she still couldn’t believe she was handed a folder, let alone the name on it was Mard Geer Tartaros.

* * *

 

“Excuse me?” Mard asked as he clutched his  _ Book of End _ a little tighter.

“Right, ya all need some lessons on being a good guild. I had fun,” Merlin said as she sipped her coffee and checked the clocks under her arm. “Got like ten more minutes then can’t be back for three days.”

“Merlin, I can assure you I do understand how to handle human society,” he said. Mard Geer was quite confident in his abilities to handle small minded humans. After all he had lead demons for hundreds of years and spent too much time dealing with other Planar Rulers, including Pompous Ass. Humans were not that difficult, just stupid really.

“Right, Mard, what’s a date?”

Mard thought it a stupid question, the answer obvious, “a fruit.”

“No. Now when you see a child abandoned on the side of a road what do ya do?” she asked, a bit of mirth in her features.

“Enslave it and raise it to become house staff,” he replied, trying to figure out how he got the date question wrong. That was exactly what a date was, unless humans used it for something else but that would make no sense. Least in his native language of Infernai words were simple and had direct meanings.

Merlin shook her head, “wrong again, tis why you need a human to help ya. Final question, ya see a dying old woman and if ya take her to the hospital, she lives but it’ll cost ya the defeat of your enemy. Do ya save her or win against your opponent?”

Mard shook his head, these questions making no sense to his mind. “You break her neck to let her die in silence, then kill the enemy.”

Merlin shook her head with a frown on her face, “no. I’ve made my point. Mard yer usually bloody clever but human goodness you just dun get it.”

Mard sat back, absolutely perplexed, his answer was sound, and he knew it. The only thing that made sense was to kill quickly, it was considered humane. He believed the word was humane, though he never had a need to use it, least not when it came to humans or how he ruled the Underworld.

“Right, must go now, now ya be good and listen to yer teacher. You’ll like her,” Merlin said.

“Her? Merlin are you matchmaking?” he asked, knowing his best friend too well and recalling their conversation in the bar. When Merlin had mentioned that him agreeing to this would get help him meet his Queen.

Merlin grinned at him, “of course. I told ya Mard, yer my last project.”

Mard set the book down and face palmed. Except for around Merlin he refrained from showing emotion, it was not only undignified but made him appear weak. Mard Geer was many things but never weak. He shook his head and peeked up at her, “I never wanted to be a project, Merlin.”

She leaned across the table and kissed his forehead, only Merlin could get away with that or a hug. Mard expressly had it as a rule that no one touch him in such an unsophisticated fashion, except her. In fact, as he thought about it, Merlin was usually the only exception to his rules.

“As some relatively smart blokes said once, ya can’t always get what you want, but sometimes you get what ya need. Behave Mard,” she said and as Mard looked up, she was gone.

He sat back and let out a breath, only Merlin could do that, and it wasn’t fair. As he sat back there was a knock at his office door and he gave the visitor permission to enter. Jackal stepped through the doorway, holding on to a folder, the explosive demon looked nervous.

“Hey boss, ummm, got the folder of your teacher,” he said as he scratched the back of his neck. Mard pointed to the spot on his desk before him and Jackal set the folder down. Jackal smiled at him, a bit of a lop-sided silly look to his features, “she’s cute at least.”

“Leave,” Mard commanded and watched how the demon dropped his tail and scurried out of the room. He ran a finger over the folder, and glanced at the name, Lucy Heartfilia and his lip curled slightly. That name, Lucy, he had heard the other demons talk to Merlin about her and he should have known. Merlin was insane but when she planned something, she did it well. If he had to assume, Lucy right now had a folder with his name on it.

He set the book down on the desk and opened the folder, the first thing he was greeted with was a picture of her. Quite the picture it was too, she was in a very revealing outfit a short blue skirt and a blue and white shirt without shoulder and short enough to show off a tone stomach. Overall her appearance was very striking, and the coffee color eyes were one of her best features. Then again anything that reminded Mard of his precious elixir was deemed best.

Mard read through the file, she was a Celestial Summoner, that made him almost snort. Which meant he’d have to deal with the minions of Pompous Ass. There might be a bit of amusement to that, especially trolling Leo. The well-dressed Mr. Kitty was somewhat of an annoyance, but he also had a love of mischief and usually hid a chuckle whenever the two Kings got into the thick of a word match.

He went through the rest of her details, about her missions, aptitudes, history and so on. There was even a section for things she liked and didn’t like, which he did not care about. Though he was highly curious about the fact that she held major titles in the sciences, particularly astrophysics and astronomy. It appeared this little human was just as intelligent as she was beautiful. That could make the pain of having to work with her a bit easier.

Another knock at his door and Mard lifted his head as he gave permission for Silver to enter. The undead human was holding his folder and looked a bit paler than normal. “Speak.”

“Bark. Bark.” The mage said in jest and Mard only kept staring at him. Silver pulled on his collar, “we got word from Fairy Tail, they are throwing us a meet and greet party, tonight.”

Mard closed his folder, “then we must attend.”

The mage shuffled on his feet, “Mard Geer, you never explained why we are doing this?”

“Must a leader explain everything?” he shot back.

Silver pursed his lips, “in this case, yeah. You threw away years of work and we have a right to know why.”

Silver was not wrong, and Mard let out a soft breath as he could hear the murmurs of the rest of the demons in the hallway. “You all should come in, eavesdropping is quite rude.”

They all filed into his office and Mard grabbed his book, holding it close to his chest as he examined the demons. They were all creations of Zeref, but unlike him, Zeref still had their books. In an instant Zeref could kill them all and Mard knew that, even now the dark one may even be gathering the books. Least he could do was humor them and try to keep their morale uplifted.

“I was informed that our plan would not have worked. You may have heard me mention Merlin, she does not usually interfere into situations as this, but if we eradicated magic, she would because this is her native Plane. However, she gave me an alternative plan that keep her out of the situation and give us a chance of success in destroying Zeref.” Mard paused and gauged the sea of faces, everyone was processing a bit of confusion and that was to be expected. “We must have this alliance with Fairy Tail and combine our strength with theirs, only then can we not only exterminate Zeref but there is also the threat of Acnologia, the Dragon of Chaos.” A few people sucked in a breath at the name, Mard almost had a reaction himself when Merlin warned him of Chaos.

“Master, there is no alternative?” Kyoka asked.

“No. That is all I will say on this matter. Prepare yourselves for the party tonight and be prepared to place nice with the humans,” he said dismissing the demons, despite their grumbles.

As he had the office back to himself, Mard sank back into his chair and scrubbed a hand over his face. This was not how he expected the perfection of his life to go, but then again, he reminded himself of something he said to Silver.  _ Never make friends with the clinically insane. _

* * *

 

Lucy was busy helping with setting up for the party, Tartaros had accepted and she found herself buzzing. She had taken time to study Mard’s file but couldn’t stop staring at the handsome leader. Never in her life had she seen anyone even close to his appearance. Midnight large eyes framed in thick lashes, angular features to an inhuman face, gorgeous dark plum hair and a style choice that was sophisticated and a bit old fashioned. There was something about him that interested her. Though she thought the section on his likes was cute, cuddling, trolling, and above all coffee. It wasn’t lost on her that much of his file wasn’t written in Gramps’ crude handwriting, she figured it must have been Merlin.

As everything was pulling together, Cana pulled her and the other girls back to Fairy Hills to start getting changed for the party. Lucy had grabbed a short black asymmetrical dress for the event, figuring the darker color might appeal to the demon she was going to partner with. Well she hoped so, his magic type mentioned roses and though that seemed odd, she figured demons like darkness. As she changed she noticed how Mira walked over to her. The Takeover mage looking gorgeous in her red dress and her silver hair styled down and curled.

“You look awesome Lucy, here, one little thing,” she said as she brought her hands forward and produced a pink rose comb, the little bits of crystal playing in the light. Lucy smiled.

“Want to help me with my hair?” she asked, figuring it would be fun to have her friend do it.

“Yes!” Mira chirped as she took a brush and Lucy sat down in a chair while Mira got behind her and started brushing her hair. “I think he’s going to like you,” she opined, and Lucy pursed her lips.

“Mira, I wouldn’t get all crazy baby babble over this. I just have to help him get used to not killing people or whatever things a dark guild does,” she said, trying to hide her attraction to a picture.

Mira giggled, “I know, but it’s fun to kind of think about it. We both know you don’t have much…” Lucy cut her off with a bit of a growl. “Okay, sorry Lucy shouldn’t have mentioned it. I’m just saying demons aren’t all bad and who knows maybe a demon is exactly what you need.”

Lucy face palmed, “I don’t want to date the guy, just get to know him, work with him and go from there. We have major enemies coming this way and we could use the help.”

Mira nodded as she pinned up Lucy’s hair and added in the decorative comb before handing Lucy a mirror. Lucy looked at her self and smiled, “it’s beautiful, thank you so much.”

“You’re very welcome, okay almost party time, let’s go have some fun.”

“Oh, I got fun sweet cheeks,” Cana said as she came in with a tray holding a few shot glasses. Lucy raised a brow, “mixed these up for all the girls, it’ll help ya relax.” That was dangerous, and Lucy knew it, Cana had a talent with liquor it was uncanny. Though she would not be rude and took the cloudy blue drink in her hands. She stood up and raised the glass with Mira and Cana before downing the shot.

It was chilled and slightly fruity with something a bit heady for an aftertaste. Though Lucy could feel a little something else in there and her shoulders dropped a little, her bit of anxiety leaving her body. In fact, she felt fan-fucking-tastic and almost wanted another one.

“Okay, that little mix should last for a few hours. Now let’s go party!” Cana shouted, and Lucy giggled as the two mages flanked her and they walked back to the Fairy Tail Guild hall.

As they entered people were chatting about their arriving guests, speculating in curiosity. She saw Gray off to the side, sitting alone and she knew that it had to be rough for him. To think he was paired up with his own long-lost father, Lucy wanted to go and comfort him, but the doors had opened and there filing in were the demons of Tartaros.

Gramps ran to the front of the hall with Laxus right behind him. The demons all parted and up the center came Mard Geer himself, Lucy sucked in a breath. That picture did him zero justice and she could feel her knees go weak. She touched Cana’s arm for a moment and was handed her flask. Lucy didn’t think and took a swig, she might regret that later.

“Welcome new friends of Tartaros!” Gramps shouted.

“Thank you for the invitation,” he replied, and Lucy adored the richness of Mard’s voice. The demon had to have some kind of sex magic to him, because damn Lucy was appreciating everything he had going on. Of course, that also might be the booze Cana gave her and Lucy took another swig before Cana took back her flask.

Gramps turned around, “brats, come meet your new demon partners.” Lucy swallowed and walked forward, though out of the corner of her eye she noticed that Gray didn’t move. Instead a man who looked like an older version of Gray approached him. She felt bad for her friend but wished him the best and hoped that maybe they could work things out.

Lucy swallowed as she approached Mard Geer, she noticed his eyes had scanned her, without barely moving. She stepped forward and held out her hand, “Lucy Heartfilia, nice to meet you Mard Geer.”

He stepped closer to her and took her hand, lightly shaking it, “a pleasure, I am sure.” Mard seemed a bit dismissive of her and Lucy tilted her head, not understanding what his deal was. After all it was Tartaros who dropped in next door to them, not the other way around. Least he could do was a be a little politer.

“Can I get you a drink?” she asked, hoping to break the ice a little further.

“I can only imagine what you humans consider to be drinkable,” he said, and she wasn’t exactly sold on him, in fact he was a bit of an asshole.

“Well, perhaps you should have brought your own drinks then,” she shrugged as she turned on a heel and walked towards the bar. Lucy didn’t look behind her to see if he was following, she could practically feel him. As she walked up to the bar, Mard stood beside her, she felt tiny under his uncaring gaze and the fact he was at least half a foot taller than her didn’t help.

Mira smiled, “I managed to find some Underworld Spiced Wine, do you like it warm?”

“It is the only way to drink it,” he replied, and Mira smiled before she went about preparing his drink.

“Otherwise, Mira does make a wonderful espresso with a lemon twist,” Lucy added and noticed that Mard turned to look at her, he almost maybe, kind of smiled.

“That is also the only way to drink that, I do enjoy a dark roast, the darker the better,” he added.

“I like something full bodied too, though I prefer light on the acidity,” Lucy said and noticed that Mard was no longer staring at her like he couldn’t care, instead she had his attention.

“Acidity does not bother me, I use a French press for my coffee and insist on only fresh ground beans.”

“There’s something wonderful about how a good press can get the right oils out of the beans.”

Mard moved a little closer to her and Lucy could smell roses and coffee on him, it was quite the blend. His hand lifted, and he pushed back a wayward lock of her hair behind her ear. “Your hair ornament is beautiful; do you enjoy roses?”

Lucy blushed and smiled, “they are beautiful flowers, I love walking by the florist shops and seeing all the colors. Have you ever seen a rainbow rose?”

They stood and chatted as Mira served them drinks, Mard was losing his stiffness bit by bit as she kept things on topic to what appealed to him. Right now, she was grateful for that little folder and whoever added in the notes about what Mard likes. Though the more he talked, the more she felt a slow burning desire coil in her belly.

She was in so much trouble around the demon, but all of that changed when a brawl started to break out and she got yanked into the chaos. Watching how Mard only grabbed the bottle of wine and made his way out of the room.  _ When you feel like being an adult again, find me. _ He said into her head and Lucy blinked before she ducked out of the way of a thrown chair. She almost forgot that one little bit about him, he’s telepathic, which means he knew damn well what she was thinking about as they talked. If he saw those mental images…

A bolt of fire whizzed by her, and she whirled around. Okay she was going to kick someone’s ass and then go find a very sexy piece of demonic ass.

* * *

 

Mard Geer sat in the Fairy Tail Library, finally escaping the welcome party that was thrown in their honor. He didn’t understand how this pack of unruly children would accept a bunch of demons in a dark guild easily as allies. Many of the human emotions on display he did not understand nor wish to understand. It made these children weak willed and prone to inelegant outbursts.

Though his little human teacher, Lucy, she was quite the rosebud. There was much more to her than that report let on and the mental images she kept imaging were having a bit of effect on the King. He had taken his leave because he did not degrade himself into brawling. No if Mard Geer had to fight he did it with one objective, to win. Usually that meant killing and that would not go over well with trying to make allies.

Instead his best course of action was to find a quiet room and wait out the fight before rejoining Lucy in conversation and more drink. Right now, he had an interesting little book on the History of Fairy Tail and a warm bottle of wine. Underworld wines would influence him, he could already feel a bit of its warmth in his body. His mind relaxing and allowing him to drop his usual demeanor for a bit to enjoy his new freedom.

As he was reading about Their first mission the door to the library creaked opened and he could tell that it was Lucy. He looked up from his book and noticed her slightly disheveled appearance. It was obvious she had been fighting with someone determined to burn her dress, which was a bit annoying, the dark color and the way it flowed around her curves was gorgeous.

“I thought you might hide in the library, it’s magically protected for soundproofing and damage resistance,” she said as she came up to him. Mard put down the book and finished his glass of wine before leaning back in the wing backed padded chair.

“I enjoy reading,” he said, and she smiled.

“I do too, this is my favorite room.”

“Indeed, did you wish to finish our talk?”

Lucy nodded and looked around, Mard knew she was looking for a chair to move over and he stood up. He grabbed another chair and lifted it, noting that it may have been a bit too heavy and bulky for her smaller frame to handle. He didn’t say anything as he moved the chair in front of the one he was sitting on.

Mard turned to face her and she nibbled her lip, her heartbeat was erratic, and her thoughts were sexual in nature. It wasn’t much of a surprise when she pressed her body against his and grabbed the back of his head, pulling him into a kiss.

He could taste strawberries, stardust and wine on her lips before she nipped his bottom lip and he granted her access to his mouth. Their tongues glided against each other and with each moment Mard could feel his own heartbeat increasing as he tasted and felt her. Perhaps the wine or perhaps just her but all his prized control flew out the proverbial window as they kissed.

He felt it when he was backed up into the chair and he lowered himself as Lucy climbed up on him. She straddled his lap and he could feel her heat over his slowly waking member. It had been far too long since Mard enjoyed a sexual partner, this may not go well for him in the long run but right now he had no sense of care to him.

Lucy was much more forceful than he had figured she would be, as far as he knew humans had certain restraints. Though as she started laying kisses to his jaw, he started to wonder if she did, it was obvious she knew her own desires. It was a welcome relief for the demon, though he had made up his mind earlier today he would try to seduce her. There was something about her picture and profile that had him dreaming of coffee colored eyes and creamy legs.

“Mard…” she whispered as her hips rolled over him and she nibbled his earlobe, “I want you.”

“I noticed,” he replied as his hands worked their way up her thighs and under her skirt. He traced along the lines of her panties, feeling the slightly damp silk. Her hands worked between them as she started undoing his belt.

He lifted his hips a little to help her move the fabric barrier away from his straining erection. Mard pushed the thin material of her panties to the side as his fingers teased at her dripping core. How she was already this turned on was beyond him, usually lovers required a bit of coaxing to a state like this but not her. It only added to the wonder of her and he started to understand one of the things that made her unusual. It was like she was built for him, for his mind, his desires and in such a short bit of time. Though time never matter, not when you could live for as long as he had and for how short human life spans were.

She moved off him for a moment, letting him push down his pants to pool at his boots as she slipped out of panties. Lucy was back on him, her essence coating his hardened length as their lips met again in passion. Every little twitch of her body had his member twitching, tapping against her wet core, all but asking for entrance.

Lucy grabbed the back of the chair as she pushed up with her legs, her half-lidded eyes never breaking from his. He could hear the desperate pleas inside of her mind, her unbridled desires for him, and she was practically internally begging to ride him till the sun came up.

“After we get through this round of Lust, I could take you back to Tartaros and you can ride me till dawn,” he whispered, and she gave him a small nod before she slowly started sinking down on him.

She felt like Heaven, her body struggling to take him in and enveloping his thick length. Mard kneaded her ass and with a silent apology thrust up sharply to end the slow torture and bring their bodies together. Lucy let out a sharp cry and he held her close as he nuzzled her neck, breathing in her scent and feeling her desire envelop all his senses.

She swirled her hips after a moment and slowly she began to lift before coming back down. Mard found himself in awe at the feeling and his hips rolled up to meet her thrust for thrust as they took each other in the chair.

Lucy arched her back and Mard rand his nails down her back before as he licked along her collarbone. The chair creaked as they moved, her moans bouncing off the walls while they explored passion, it was enough to give him something called a head rush to be with her. There was a connection as their bodies moved and the demonic instincts of his nature began to take over. He held her waist as he began to piston into her from below, forcing her to shout his name. It was beautiful to listen to and he needed to feel her undone for him, he bet it would be quite the site.

Mard didn’t think he could tire of feeling her and she started to whimper as she pulled his pony tail and captured his lips. Bodies crashing, tongues swirling and finally she screamed into his mouth as her delicate channel tighten around him, making his head swim. Mard could feel her skin break out into a light sheen of sweat and her mind was gone, replaced by raw ecstasy and emotion, all of it caressing the most hidden parts of his being.

He worked her harder, his release right on the edge until she bit his shoulder trying to muffle her next scream, but that would not do. No later he would bring her back to his personal room and listen to her scream for the rest of the night. His balls drew up as he let out a harsh whisper of Infernai and his release barreled out of him, filling her. Mard held her tight, soft thrusts as he spent the last of his release and tried to pull himself back down from the high of virtually leaving his body in that moment.

Lucy stilled and looked at him, she was still catching her breath and the flush of color on her cheeks was wonderful. Mard found that he liked how expressive she was, and he returned the favor by smiling at her, showing her a small glimpse of the emotions he kept locked for too long.

“Mard…. Hmm… That was…” she started to say.

“Worthy to do again,” he added, and she giggled.

“Exactly, take me home?”

“Only if you promise to not regret it when the liquor leaves your system,” he shot back as she got off his lap, his softening dick slipping out of her and he missed the warmth.

“Being blonde doesn’t make me stupid, I’d have to be an idiot to regret that,” she teased.

Mard pulled up and corrected his pants as she slipped her panties back on. He cupped her cheek and brought her in for a gentle small kiss. “Indeed, now…”

She quirked a brow and to his surprise she jumped into his arms. He cradled her into his chest as he started to leave the library. They walked through the now quiet guild hall, she played with his hair as he looked no where but the exit. As they made it outside he heard a very distinct scream, “yeah! Get you some Lucy!”

_ Humans. _

* * *

and that's the first chapter, like the rest this will go to 3 Chapters and we'll check in with Sebby and Claude at some point.

Comment and kudos please!


	2. Second Chance and New Begining

Reminder: Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail, I just have Merlin, her bar, and this plot.

* * *

_2 years later_

* * *

Mard’s eyes cracked open as he felt a familiar presence crawl over him. He shifted slightly in the bed as his Rosebud rolled off him, taking the blanket with her. She mumbled about cupcakes as she slept, and he took a second to run his hand over her swollen belly. Soon Mard Geer would be a father, that thought was terrifying and beautiful. It also gave him a new sense of purpose, he had a family to protect and that presence would need to be answered.

Very few things in life made sense, these days, and he knew it was a waste of energy to dwell on it. He slid out of bed and grabbed his deep violet robe, securing the tie around his waist. As he stepped to leave the room, he looked back over at Lucy. She was safely cocooned in the deep burgundy blanket, the only thing to see was her golden hair fanned out all over the pillows. Mard quietly left the bedroom, his bare feet barely making a sound on the marble flooring.

At this time of night, only the guards were out, the other demons were either asleep or out on training missions. So far Tartaros had done well in adapting to being a Light Guild, under the protection of Fairy Tail. Though Mard would have preferred to handle this with less politics, that was not going to happen.

And people wonder why he was a Dark Guild. Spend a few hours with mage politicians and you would stay away from legal requirements, spot inspections, taxes and the like. People called him corrupted and a demon, they never sat through fifteen hours of committee meetings and pompous grandstanding. He could have destroyed the entire Magic Council, many times over, but chose not to. Not so much for himself but for his now mate and mother of his Spawnling.

If the people in Fiore had known just how close they had come to be destroyed, they would worship his little Rosebud. Only she had that power over him, power he gave to her when he took her as mate and Queen.

At first, he cursed Merlin for such a plan, but now he would have to thank her. His best friend had two annoying habits, glitter bombs and being right. The second one worked out for him and as he passed by the large picture of Rosebud’s Coronation, he made a mental note to visit Hell and thank her.

Mard Geer pushed open a large door and stepped into the inner courtyard. The white marble pathways were flanked by hundreds of roses of various types and colors. Little magical orbs illuminated the walking path, on his way to the dark man sitting at the central fountain. The fountain was one of his favorite thinking places, the last time he sat beside the majestic sculpture was the night he made the decision to fully mate his Rosebud.

It was a heavy amount of thinking and analyzing that he had done. Mard Geer needed to understand all sides of something before he would act. This is why many of his plans took years to develop but the decision to take his human mentor as Queen, was easy. All he had to know was that in the short time he was with her, he hated being without her. It was a selfish and emotional decision but after hundreds of years, Mard Geer was allowed to make one.

It was a correct one and the night he took her, she conceived Spawnling. Fate had felt it was right to reward his decision, now he just had to deal with the man with black hair, black eyes and a forlorn look to his face.

“I am tired of my life, Mard Geer,” he said.

“Coincidence, I am also tired of your life, Zeref,” Mard replied. Zeref glared at him, the kind of look that would have sent him to the floor, pleading for his life but not any more. No, the only person who could make him put his proverbial tail between his legs was Rosebud, no one else was worthy.

“I’m not here for your sarcasm,” the dark one said as he unhooked his cloak and draped it over the stone bench.

“Why are you here?” he asked. Mard crossed his arms in front of his chest and waited for a response. This was odd and he knew that with Zeref’s mental state this could go very well or very badly. Though had Merlin not undone the book binding, he would not be so bold and Mard knew that.

Zeref scrubbed a pale thin hand over his face, in the soft light Mard could barely see the small tear that came out of the corner of his eye. He almost took a step forward to do something. Perhaps comfort him? It would be strange to do as such but the problems of an immortal, only another can understand.

Mard Geer wasn’t fully immortal, he could still be killed but those were issues to worry about another day. Right now, he had to understand what would make Zeref come to him. So, the Definitive Demon waited, slowly gathering his power and ready to defend his home and person.

Zeref let out a breath and stared at the sky, his eyes almost going dead as his face relaxed. “How does it feel to create a life? How does it feel to have one? To be able to enjoy the things that mortals take for granted?”

Not exactly the questions Mard had figured Zeref would ask but knowing the mage’s mood swings it seemed like the correct ones. “You would need to ask my Queen, she is the one creating the life. To have a life is difficult to describe and I would not sully the complexity with mortal words. I am still learning what it means to enjoy something, but I find this very much to my liking.”

The Dark Lord let out a chuckle, “always literal Mard. Thank you. Come sit.” He patted the spot on the bench next to him and taking the opportunity, Mard accepted the offer. Least if anything it could make a surprise attack easier to have such proximity.

Mard looked up at the sky, watching the stars twinkle and wondering if Pompous Ass and his minions were watching. How long till one of them decides to disturb his sleeping Rosebud just to scare her? He hoped not, otherwise he was going to do many unpleasant things to each and every one of them. Except Virgo, because she would enjoy that too much.

The two sat in a stiffened silence, Mard watching every little of Zeref, waiting for the right moment. Zeref leaned forward and put his forearms on his knees as his head bobbed down. “I’m so very tired Mard, I want my love back, I want my brother to be free, I just want it to end.”

“So that is why you are you are here, you wish me to end you?”

“I think it’s time, you were built for this reason. Had it not been for that damn Merlin poking her magical nose where it doesn’t belong…” Zeref’s voice trailed off as strong magic started filling the space. Mard quickly shielded his eyes before the sudden flash of bright light.

“Alright Zeref, come now, let’s settle this you cockwaffle. How dare you bother my best mate?” Merlin’s distinct voice filled the air and Mard looked over as his best friend was standing before Zeref. Over the years he had seen many facial expressions out of her but this one was different. It was as if she was a guardian angel ready to call upon Heaven to splinter apart and smite someone. Which, in theory, she could do.

“Merlin,” Zeref groaned, “I just want it over with.”

Merlin stepped forward and dropped to a knee before Zeref, she took his hands in her own. Mard watched and waited as the two locked eyes. Pearlescent white staring into black, his dark curse colliding against her power. The conversation was happening int heir minds and though Mard could try to listen, he did not wish to. After a few centuries of those two hating each other, maybe this was how everything was supposed to end.

Zeref fell forward and banged his head into Merlin’s slender shoulder before he started to cry. Mard arched a brow as she silently mouthed to him, “dun look shocked, knew this bugger was off his rocker.”

Mard nodded and sat back, letting the scene happen and mentally checking in on his Rosebud. He could see her dreams and right now she was having quite a sugar coated one. Cupcakes lined up and marching towards her, while she sat on a throne and picked them off, devouring all kinds of flavors. If he knew his mate, she would wake up soon to have to go to the bathroom and then ask him for a cupcake. They do far had been her biggest craving and Mard had kitchen imps on staff at all hours to keep a fresh supply of various flavors.

A bit of movement caught his attention as Zeref and Merlin stood up. “Mard,” he said, “Natsu is my brother, I give him the Alvarez Empire, I am leaving you the books of the demons of Tartaros.”

“Zeref, are you sure?” he asked and the dark lord wiped his nose with his sleeve before agreeing.

“ _Remember when you went through this Mard, after Jai?_ ” Merlin asked inside of Mard’s head and he internally nodded. “ _Right now, imagine staying like that for hundreds of years._ ”

The century he went through was bad enough, if it wasn’t for Merlin and Rosebud, Mard might have taken such an action at himself. The sheer level of willpower and strength it takes to keep going for so long, had Mard giving Zeref a bit of respect. Though he knew that he was always designed as Zeref’s instrument of suicide, he just never thought it would actually happen.

“Zeref, you gave me this life, the least I can do is honor yours. Do you wish to have it all end?” Mard asked, keeping his voice low and sincere.

Merlin kept an arm around Zeref as he shuddered against her. Something about this didn’t feel right, there was too much emotion at play here. The timing too off, everything wrapped up nicely in a neat little gift. It was sudden, the movement of bodies too quick for a mortal eye to see but Mard had moved at just the right time.

He held Zeref’s arm, twisting it up his back and taking the strange dark blade out of his hand. Merlin hissed as she jumped back and out of his grip. She pressed her hand to the side and let out a breath of relief when there was no blood.

“Ya right damn bloody cunt!” she screamed as two massive claymores appeared in her hands. Mard knew she was a skilled swordswoman, having been a Dervish in her mortal life before she ascended.

Mard kicked behind Zeref’s knee and the Dark Lord dropped but Mard did not lessen his grip. He took his other hand and pulled on Zeref’s hair wrenching his head back and exposing his throat. Zeref twisted and struggled as Mard pulled up his thorn vines to pin Zeref’s legs to the ground.

Merlin held a sneer to her face, “why damn you? Tha one time I thought, ya could be better. What is this rubbish?”

Zeref laughed, “do it! End my existence, I can’t…” He screamed as his eyes shut and his magic started to change.

“Merlin, time is short, we have to finish this to save everyone. If his curse gets out…” Mard’s mind flashed to Rosebud and their child getting caught up in the wake of Zeref’s curse. Seeing everything around him die, even his precious roses.

“Mard, let go,” she said and Mard didn’t even think twice, he let go of Zeref, dissipated the thorn vines and leapt back. He watched how the swords vanished and Merlin grabbed Zeref, both mages disappearing as black smoke started wafting from him.

“Merlin!” he called out, watching how many roses started to wither and die. Mard rushed to where they had just been, he knelt by his dead roses and felt grateful that Zeref’s curse had only gone a few feet.

Mard was certain that magic couldn’t kill Merlin, but what Zeref had was not so much magic as was a divine curse. He held the dead roses in his hands as he worried for his friend and wondered what the hell was going on? As he considered the notion of praying, he could hear his Rosebud shouting.

The last few minutes tumbled away from his thoughts as he got up and moved towards his Rosebud. His heart was hammering in his chest as worry filled his thoughts. Was Zeref gone? Was Merlin alive? Is this the night that everything comes to a head? How did a normal night turn out so very wrong? If anything, his Rosebud and Spawnling had better be alright, he was feeling fear.

Mard could have cared less about anything as he ran. Priceless works of art flew off pedestals and off the walls as he flew by them. Servants could pick up after him, that was what they were there for. He made it to the room as Rosebud was doubled over and the bedsheets looked soaked.

“Rosebud?” he questioned as she looked up at him, her face contorted in pain, turning red as she struggled to breathe. Her hands on her belly as tears streaked down her face.

“Scimi! Mard! Water!” she shouted, not making much sense, but he thought he understood it.

“What now?” he questioned. She wasn’t due for a month yet.

Rosebud panted and grunted, “Mard, fuck off, this is your kid, you think she waits for an invitation?”

Mard put his hand to his mouth and didn’t stop the laughter that came from him. Rosebud threw a pillow before she let out another scream. He telepathically called for the midwife and curled into the bed, beside his Queen. He put an arm around her and took her hand, “we are buying a new mattress after this.”

Rosebud showed an impressive amount of strength as she squeezed his hand and the midwife entered the room. “This is not the time for your snark. Where the fuck were you?”

“Rosebud, do you think my impressive snark comes with an off switch?”

She smacked him before she laughed for a few seconds before she moaned in pain. “You are so lucky I love you, otherwise I’d murder you.”

Mard kissed his Queen as the midwife removed the blanket and settled between her legs. She noted the dilation and used a bit of magic to ease Rosebud’s pain. They pulled back from the kiss, “I love you too, Rosebud. Now I believe you were about to give birth and my snark was not welcome.”

She glared at him for the briefest of moments, “and I was having the best of dreams…”

* * *

After the harrowing birth of their daughter, Lucy found herself in a nice clean bed and barely feeling anything. She loved the fact that Mard had selected a demon midwife that had natural healing capabilities.

Mard was pacing around the room holding onto their sleeping daughter. Lucy was amazed that he refused to let go of her, except to let her nurse. Though he did warn her that for demons the first twenty-four hours were important, that it was a time of imprinting. Scimitar would learn her father’s scent and his heartbeat, while he would put his unique fragrance on her so that any demon who met Scimi would know who she belonged to. It was a safety measure, but it also showed that demons had their own customs that made them more than just vile creatures of legend.

What impressed her most was just how calm Mard looked, even changing diapers. She would never have imagined that he took to being a father as easily as she took to breathing. Though part of Lucy was a little jealous, which was stupid, and she knew it, that Mard was not paying more attention to her. As she let out a sigh and sat up, Mard was beside her.

“Rosebud, I did in all fairness warn you,” he said as he pressed a kiss to her temple.

Lucy smiled, it was halfhearted, “I know, but just, I want time with her too.” She reached out and ran her fingers through her daughter’s dark purple locks. How the hell that kid was born with so much hair was beyond her, but as she looked at the massive mane on Mard, it made sense.

“After this time frame and the imprinting is complete, you can have her all you want,” he said as he moved Scimitar to rest a little closer to Lucy but still mostly on his chest.

“So if we have other children?” she asked and he arched a brow.

“The same thing, as many children as you want, but their first day is mine,” Mard didn’t even give a pause to say that and Lucy beamed at her husband.

They had been through three different ceremonies to be recognized as a legal couple. There was his mating ceremony, which was beautiful and a three-day intensive event. Lucy almost swore off sex after all of that, she was absolutely sore for a good week. Then they married in human fashion, the wedding held at Fairy Tail and the party was one to remember. Finally, she had the Rite of Queen, which was her coronation, where she had to feast and fight amongst strong demons to prove her worth.

It was after the Rite of Queen and Coronation that they found out she was pregnant with their daughter. Though Lucy panicked at the news, the doctor had assured her that the baby was healthy and that there was no damage. Now as she looked at Scimi’s pink pudgy cheeks and button nose, she was perfect and healthy. They had lucked out, though Scimitar was born a month early, everything checked out and the little Princess was here.

“Mard you didn’t tell me where you were when my water broke,” she said.

“Zeref,” he said simply Lucy’s eyes widened.

“What?” She tried to not shriek, least she wake their daughter, but that was difficult and Scimi squirmed.

Mard patted Scimi’s back and adjusted her a little higher on his chest. “He came to die, so I thought, it was a trap, he wanted Merlin. Where they are or what is happening, I do not know. Though, did you know that Natsu is his brother?”

Lucy rubbed her ear, “say that again?”

“It makes sense, do you want to talk to him or should I?” he asked.

Lucy let out a breath and pushed her bangs off her face, which lasted for a second before they were in her eyes again. “Let’s do it together, I’m sure Mira will watch Scimi or the whole guild will play pass the baby.”

Mard’s lip curled as his body tensed and Lucy giggled, “easy Demon Daddy, you like my nakama. They won’t hurt her.”

“On purpose, there are many other things that could happen,” he stated, his voice heavily annoyed.

Lucy shook her head and let out a quiet giggle. “Stop being such a worrywart, you’re being more panicked mommy than I am.”

He blinked, “I am not, Rosebud, take that back. I have a legitimate concern here. This is not overreacting.”

She leaned down and kissed the top of her daughter’s head, trying to hide the laughter. Lucy failed and after a minute, Mard sighed, “fine. As usual Rosebud you are most correct.”

Mard always took a second to understand these things and Lucy had learned patience in spades over the last two years. The trick was to overpower his analytical logic with an emotional logic, which usually translated into Lucy just had to laugh at him when he made zero sense. At first, he hated that, but she was fortunate that he was a fast learner.

Teaching a demon like Mard how to be humane had been rough and worth it, their daughter in his arms as proof. Lucy felt that she had been blessed to have the demon in her life, but sometimes she also felt cursed. Those times were more in the beginning of their romance and his learning until she used the greatest power known to the universe. Coffee.

To say that Mard Geer was addicted to coffee was an understatement. If he did not have a bare minimum of one hundred ounces of the stuff a day, there would be blood. Literally. Lucy wished she was joking. However, taking away his coffee or gifting him a nice rich espresso helped Mard understand when things were important.

Like, you do not subjugate lost children into being household staff. She still laughed at that one, arguing his point of “if the child is lost, it is obvious the parents have found it too weak to serve them as anything but food. Therefore, I am being kind.” Lucy had to first make him understand that most humans did not eat other humans. Which lead into a three discussion about how the exception to the rule (cannibals) did not make it the norm and he should not assume anything.

Lucy won that by reminding him to think about what would happen if their child was lost, would he want someone subjugating him or her. Though Mard had considered her words, he took the conversation into a different direction, asking her if she wanted to carry his progeny. It was the hopeful look on his face, when Lucy realized that she had fallen love with him. Enough to where they spent the rest of the night making love and talking baby names.

Now, after a whirlwind of two years, she was curled up with her king and their daughter, Scimitar Layla Tartaros, First Princess of the Underworld. Which is a mouthful, so Lucy got used to calling her Scimi while Mard… she didn’t quite understand Spawnling as a nickname but when he said, it sounded sweet. Sometimes her husband had very interesting word choices for people, pet names really.

“You have such a romantic view on our relationship. I somehow remember being much more vicious towards you, at times.” Whispered Mard, stopping Lucy’s mental memories. He was right, despite the fact they had difficulties keeping their hands off each other, when they talked, Mard could be a downright bitch. That was then and Lucy had decided a long time ago to just concentrate on the King she had now, he was much better.

“No, you were vicious to that chair in the library and then the bed at The Cube broke.” She quipped.

“Rewriting history again, I believe it was you, who jumped onto my lap,” Mard took her hand and playfully nipped at her finger.

Lucy laughed, “in my defense I was slightly drunk, and you were slightly hot.”

He arched a brow, “come now, slightly hot?” Mard kissed her hand before he let go and gently ran the back of his fingers against her cheek, Lucy could all but melt as she stared into his large midnight eyes.

“Fine,” she admitted, rolling her eyes for effect, “you’re completely hot and the greatest lover I have ever known.”

“You know Rosebud, flattery gets you pregnant again,” he replied.

“Mard, I literally just had your baby, a few hours ago. I’d like a little me time here.”

“Did you just say no to sex?” He asked, as he pressed his hand to her forehead. Lucy swatted it away and shared a laugh with her king while Scimi started to squirm more in his arm.

“Let me nurse her, we’ll talk more babies later,” Lucy said as she sat up and readied herself to nurse. Mard handed her Scimi, his eyes never leaving their daughter as she cried before she began to suckle, then he relaxed.

“So, you are not opposed to this?” he asked as he put his chin on her shoulder.

“You do know the best part of the little ones is making them,” Lucy added as she watched her daughter.

Mard smiled and kissed her cheek, “only with you Rosebud.” His finger brushed against Scimi’s cheek and their daughter opened her eyes. For a moment, Lucy could have sworn that their daughter was scolding Mard for interrupting her eating. Either that or she was not in the mood for siblings. Either thought made Lucy chuckle.

Scimi nursed as Lucy and Mard watched, she was feeling such a sense of peace at this moment that there was nothing that could ruin it. That made her even more nervous. If life was perfect now, when does the other shoe drop?

* * *

“You are too much of a pessimist,” Mard said as he read Rosebud’s surface thoughts.

She gave him a side smile, “it’s just my life, it’s been quiet for the last two years and now, I have this little bundle of perfection.”

Mard shook his head, “I do not think you understand the word quiet. Since you have come into my life, I do not think quiet is the right word.”

“Mard, you’re being literal. I mean, we teamed up cause of the threat fo Zeref and we know Acnologia is still out there. Yet not one major disaster, nothing horrible to fight.” She said and Mard pursed his lips.

“The next villain you should have faced would have been Tartaros. Instead, I did not fight you,” he replied. “Also evil does not schedule out their evil. It is too time consuming and secretaries are difficult to find.”

Rosebud laughed as she finished nursing Spawnling and handed her back to Mard so he could burp her. Now that he was holding his child again, he felt better. This imprinting process was tedious and did feel completely natural to the demon. Not that anyone could have warned him just how paternal demon males are, but if Mard Geer was going to be something, he would be the best at it.

“I suppose that is true, you never explained to me why you gave up before you started.”

Mard rolled his eyes, “I did not give up. My plan had a major flaw in it and…” He turned his head and looked away, knowing that the tips of his ears were turning a bit pink. “My only true friend was determined that I finally find a Queen. At the end of the day it was either meet you or be covered in glitter.”

Rosebud tilted her head, mouthed a few things before she covered her mouth and started laughing. Mard huffed indignantly as he felt the tummy rumble of Spawnling, right before she threw up into the burping cloth. Which Mard felt vindicated in that the little burping cloths were not big enough and he insisted on using full human bath towels. So far, his assessment of a small child’s ability to spit up was accurate.

When Rosebud collected herself, “so you chose me over a glitter bomb?”

Mard shook his head, the dark plum locks swaying over his eyes. He determined that he should get them trimmed again. “No, I chose you over the Never-Ending Glitter Parade. Imagine a spell so vile that for the rest of my life a small cloud of glitter follows over me and constantly rains those horrid little specs.” He shivered at the mental image, all the glitter…

Air was difficult as he clutched his daughter, and tried to suck it in. His heart was hammering in his chest as the world started spin, the outside of his vision growing black. He could barely feel Rosebud around him, even as she kissed his neck and whispered to him to count with her, to take deep even breaths. This went on for a few minutes, as Mard was finally able to dispel the frightening mental image. Only Rosebud and Merlin knew of his sparklephobia, the latter only because she was the one that caused it with her damn glitter bombs.

A kiss to his cheek, “you okay My King?”

Mard nodded, “better, thank you.”

Rosebud smiled at him, “personally, and I think Scimi agrees, you made the right decision.”

There was no denying the accuracy of her statement and so Mard nodded. “Rosebud, how about we just enjoy the here and now. Tomorrow we have to introduce Spawnling to Fairy Tail and let Natsu know that Zeref is his brother.”

She let out a sigh, “I don’t think he’s going to handle that very well. Where is Zeref?”

“I do not know, Merlin took him. I have a feeling Zeref is not the problem we should focus on. I have heard of this Acnologia, we should prepare for that battle.” He said. It would make sense, perhaps without Zeref and the Dark Lord wishing his brother to now rule the Alvarez Empire, they could add that strength to the combined Fairy Tail and Tartaros.

Mard Geer did not know the Spriggan 12, personally, but he had heard of them. Their strength compared to his would be interesting to sort out. He had tried to research them while planning his attack on magic to kill of Zeref, figuring that they could be outliers to his plans. This is why one of Mard’s plans could take years, he factored for even the lowest percentage chance of options.

Now he would have to do more calculations for the work he was doing with Freed, Erza, and Master Dreyar about the threats out there. Mard had two new reasons to make these plans as perfect as possible, his Rosebud and his Spawnling. That was his only focus to saving anyone, to protect them above all things. Without his mate and daughter, Mard Geer would go back to feeling nothing and lost. He would eventually turn into Zeref, that was unacceptable.

Tomorrow, they will set the next chapter of their life in motion, least his paternal instincts should be more in check by then. As Spawnling yawned and rubbed her little nose on his chest again, he thought that unlikely, but what’s a few missing limbs between allies?

* * *

Zeref was shoved against a wall, he felt his face crack and rib cage calling out in pain. Blood rushed over his lips and he licked them, it had been too long since he felt pain like this. He slid to the ground, looking like a discarded rag doll and feeling much like one. He knew it was a risk pissing off the mage, she was older and far more powerful than him.

A rag was tossed at him and he wiped his face, blinking several times to gather his bearings. The lighting was a pale red and he saw many tables spaced around the room, few had demons sitting at them. He took in a breath, his ribs protesting the movement and he could detect liquor, cigarettes and a bit of sulfur in the air. He tried to stand up and looked to his right where he saw a beautiful bar and behind it was Merlin.

He shuffled quietly to the bar and pulled out a stool before taking a seat and resting his head in his hands. Hell’s magic was foreign to his own and here he was all but powerless, it was why he despised plane hopping. “Why am I here?”

Merlin said nothing as she started mixing together a series of various liquors before adding a straw and sliding the finished mixture to him. He sipped it, the taste was sweet and unusual, it was almost like tea but vastly different. Zeref arched a brow, silently willing the mage to tell him what was going on.

“Welcome to my pub, we’re in Hell and yer currently drinking a Long Island Iced Tea.” She said as she poured a different drink for herself, a simple glass of red wine, though he did not recognize the bottle.

“You run a bar?”

“Aye, I also play matchmaker for the blokes who need one. Ya ain’t here for that, also not yer time to die,” she said as she flipped over her arm and studied the moving clock tattoos.

“How would you know?”

Merlin let out a throaty laugh, “my ninth seal, Goddess Form Death.”

Zeref sipped more of his drink, almost choking on it, “so it is true?”

She nodded a simple but elegant motion, “aye, demi Primal, get it now, ya twit?”

The Dark Mage nodded again and slowly finished his drink. The two sat in not completely comfortable silence but at least she wasn’t hurting him. After that admission, he knew she could easily kill him in barely a thought and considered himself lucky to be alive. Least the booze was tasty.

Merlin mixed him another one and as Zeref sipped it he started to feel the effects, “are you going to match me to someone?”

“Nope, I work with demons only, ya need a rest Zeref. I owe it to Mavis to grant ya that,” she said as she finished her glass.

Zeref sighed, “she loved you.”

“She loved you more, she kissed me once, it was bloody dare and nothing more. Drunk stupid girly mages, but she was a friend. Not quite like Mard, now that one, he’s like a brother, I owe you fer his life too. So, make a deal?”

He rubbed his hand over his face wincing at the pain, least it’s how he knew he was still alive. Though to be in Hell was a very strange thing, perhaps this was a warning or a promise. With Merlin it was difficult to tell, she could be more cryptic than anyone or sometimes she just told you the entire plot of your life. It depended on her mood, everyone knew she was as insane as she was beautiful.

“What deal?” he asked. “Also,” he held up his hand, “I thought you didn’t meddle.”

Merlin smiled, “I dun meddle, helping out friends is not meddling. Not on the level yer reckoning. Mard needed a Queen, she just had the baby, they need peace. I ain’t gonna destroy Acno nor rule Alvarez fer them, that shite they have to plan for. This is where I stop.”

Zeref sipped his drink and nodded, it made sense and it was good to understand the boundaries. “What is the deal?”

“Ya are done wit that world, your time has passed. Ya throw the time streams and Etheremo out of balance. Ageless creatures like us dun belong there, your curse is too much.”

“So, what world do I belong to?” he asked, and she smiled.

“Here, one of my mates, is a Prince of Hell and agreed to let ya stay here. You can run muh bar when I’m not here or needed.”

Zeref shook his head and was ready to laugh, “I know nothing about bartending.”

She shrugged and before he could move, she pressed her fingers to his forehead. So much knowledge filtered into Zeref’s mind he thought it might explode as it started to throb. The names of drinks, liquors, terminology, everything she knew about serving drinks was pressed into him. Right before he was ready to scream from the pain, it stops, in fact, all the pain stopped. Zeref felt completely healed and he was ready to jump off the stool and do a happy dance.

“Right, next objection?” she asked.

“Why me?”

Merlin tapped her lips, looking a bit pensive before she let out a breath, “I need to go find my Fated One, he ain’t right for Hell, so I cannot be here all the time. Yer curse doesn’t hurt anyone here, so if you get upset or too emotional, ya can’t do any damage. Also, it’s a good retirement gig.”

Zeref chuckled, “you thought this through, haven’t you?”

“Aye, see ya play a game with one time stream and many players. Now when I play, I play with multiple times streams and players ya even cannot imagine. Yer good Zeref, but I’m better. Pack it in, this version of you I’m giving an offer, the others have all died bloody,” she said as she whipped a rag over her shoulder.

There was something about the mage that said he should not test his luck. Though he still wasn’t satisfied, “Merlin, I want to die.”

“No, ya don’t. Ya just dun want to be alone or bored anymore. Ya left that world when yer brother did. Here ya can have friends, share new experiences, and wear fantastic shirts with little flowers and surfboards on them.” Said Merlin as she leaned across the bar and took his hand. Zeref eyed the gentle contact wearily but felt a small pulse of relaxation.

It’s not everyday someone like him was to be given a second chance and a new life. The offer was sound and would help him get through this darkness he was living under. Change happened all the time to everyone but him and now he had this rare and wonderful opportunity handed to him on a silver platter. For the first time in a long while he smiled as he held her slender fingers.

“I did have family; will I never see them?” he asked.

Merlin shook her head, “give it five years, I’ll take ya back for a visit but take the time first.”

Zeref turned their hand holding into a handshake, “alright Merlin, five years and I can see my family. You have a deal.”

There was a small pulse of magic between the two and he recognized that as contract binding. She owned him now and there was something freeing about that. “Ya know Zeref,” she said her voice keeping him in the here and now, “in time, we might be better friends. Now get yer ass to work.”

She threw the rag at him and with a snap of her fingers they had changed places, he now stood behind the bar wearing a pink button down short sleeved shirt covered in white flowers. A pair of pants that were missing the bottom parts of the legs and modified sandals. Around his waist was an apron with “Merlin’s Bar” embroidered in sparkling purple thread on it. He questioned her clothing changes and as the mage turned to leave, he yelled out, “Merlin, by the by, who is your Fated One?”

She laughed, “Freed Justine, he just dun know it yet. Thank ye, Zeref and good luck, mate.” Merlin gave him a little salute before she vanished.

Zeref looked around and cleaned off the glasses from the bar, setting up to ready himself for the night crowd. Right now, he was grateful for all the knowledge Merlin had given him and as he put the glasses on the drying rack, he found peace.

 

* * *

 

Because the other demons got a pic, a little racy MardLu for you all. Painted by me, please do not use without permission or edit to claim as your own.

 

* * *

 

_I know, it's been a while since I updated this one, but I'm determined and finally found some time to work on this one. Last chapter will have all the demons and kids meeting for the first time as well as wrapping up what the hell is going on in Fiore. So it'll be big._

_Thank you so much for all the comments and kudos!_


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